Sharps container

ABSTRACT

A reusable sharps container (10) comprising a hollow outer container body (11), a disposable liner (12) located inside the hollow body, the hollow body having a slidable trap door (shown in phantom in FIG. 1) (13) which can be removed so that the liner (12) can be replaced and the container having a mouth (14) with a co-operating lid (15) connectable to the container or liner so that sharps can pass through the opening (14) and into the liner (12).

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to sharps containers of the reusable anddisposable type and in particular but not limited to a reusable sharpscontainer disposable liner combination for use in the disposal ofmedical sharps including scalpels and hypodermic needles.

BACKGROUND ART

Sharps related accidents occur in a clinical environment. Medical staffhave been infected with the HIV virus and the Hepatitis B virus throughneedle stick injuries.

With a growing concern over needle stick and other sharps relatedinjuries safe systematic disposal of sharps has become a requirementwhen handling sharps in a clinical situation.

It is now common to use a special container for holding sharps and whenthe container is full, it is disposed of along with the sharps inside.The benefit of these types of containers is that they are usuallydesigned so that once sealed, the container cannot be reopened. Thismeans that disposal can be carried out without risk to waste disposalstaff.

The main disadvantage with these containers is the expense associatedwith buying a new container once an existing container is full. It is anobject of the present invention to alleviate this problem.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention resides in a reusable sharpscontainer comprising a hollow outer container body and a disposableliner located inside the hollow body to hold sharps, the body having anopenable closure means so that the liner can be replaced and a mouthwith a co-operating lid so that sharps can pass through the mouth andtravel into the liner, the lid being used to close the mouth. The lidcan be fitted to the reusable container or to the liner in order toclose the mouth. The openable closure means of the container is fittedto the container body below the liner so that when the openable closuremeans is open, the liner is automatically discharged from the containerbody.

The container body is preferably moulded or otherwise formed fromplastic material, although any suitable material can be employed. Theopenable closure means is preferably lockable so that unauthorizedaccess is inhibited. The closure means is typically a trap doorpreferably in the form of a slidable drawer. The closure means can beequipped with a sump. The reusable container is preferably braced at itsbase to inhibit flexing of the container and to thereby avoid accidentaldislodgment of the closure means.

In a preferred form where the lid is secured to the reusable container,the mouth includes a socket means and the lid comprises a plug meanswhich fits into the socket, the lid having release means so that the lidcan be released from inside the container body but not from the outside.The lid can have any kind of plug-in retention means including aresistance fit, bayonet type coupling, or the lid can have a clip actionrelease means.

The mouth typically employs a sharps removal means to aid removal ofsharps from separately disposable non-sharps. Typically, a notch orother needle gripping means is provided for removing hypodermic needlesfrom syringes.

The container preferably includes a sharps level indicator to give anindication of when it is necessary to change the liner. The levelindicator is preferably in the form of a protruding portion or funnelwhich extends inside the liner or is formed as part of the liner. Theprotruding portion or funnel typically occupies space that wouldotherwise be occupied by sharps so that the liner is never full tooverflowing. The protruding portion or funnel is typically in the formof a tapered wall depending down from the lid and into the containerbody and thereby into the liner. The protruding portion or funnelpreferably includes a releasable container body attachment means so thatthe protruding portion or funnel can be removed for cleaning purposes.It is most preferably only operable from the inside.

The liner can be any suitable means for holding the sharps and istypically a disposable hollow plastic or cardboard container having anarrow or wide open mouth alignable with a mouth of the reusablecontainer to thereby form the mouth for entrance of sharps. The linerand container body are preferably so sized and dimensioned that theliner is held upright within the container body in predeterminedposition relative to the mouth. In a particularly preferred form, theliner is formed from a folded blank of waxed or otherwise moistureresistant cardboard, the cardboard being folded so that the waxedsurface is inside, the liner being so formed that it includes a bottomhaving multiple layers of cardboard for added safety.

The liner can be an open topped container but in a preferred form isclosed for disposal using a lid.

Preferably the liner is in the form of a disposable sharps containerhaving a disposable body, a top section and a lid securable to the topsection, the top section having an opening formed therein and beingsecured to the body, the lid being provided to close the opening andprevent access to the interior of the container. Preferably thedisposable container is made from wax or otherwise treated cardboard toimprove liquid retention.

The top section and lid are preferably molded or otherwise formed fromplastic. The body is typically a cardboard paper or plastic container.

Preferably, the disposable container includes a funnel adjacent theopening. The funnel can be formed as part of the cardboard container orseparately thereof in cardboard or plastics material or as abovedescribed as part of the reusable container. Alternatively, the funnelcan be formed as part of the plastics top section and projecting downinto the container. In a most preferred form the funnel and the plasticstop section and the cardboard container are usually formed as a singledisposable unit.

The plastics top section is typically a flat panel clipped in place inthe cardboard body and being biased against removal once clipped inplace. The opening from the mouth is typically circular, although othershapes can be used.

The lid is typically biased against removal once in place and ispreferably circular, having a plurality of resilient lugs includingshoulders adapted to lock the lid to the top section. The plastics topsection and the lid preferably include sealing means to seal thecontainer against egress of fluids. The seals are typically O-ring sealsor resilient rubber sealing members secured to the top section at itspoint of engagement to the cardboard container. In the case of the lid,an O-ring seal is typically used.

In another embodiment the lid includes an annular channel sealinglyengageable with the top section so that once the lid is in place theannular channel seals and prevents removal of the lid.

In another embodiment the disposable container is held inside an outerliquid proof layer which is typically a flexible plastics bag. Theplastics bag is preferably stored flat and is expandable.

The container is typically used with a number of accessories including asupport platform, the container body having support platform locatingmeans so the container can be positioned over an opening in the supportplatform so that when the openable closure is released, the liner canfree fall through the opening in the support platform and into a wastecontainer.

The container body also preferably includes a handle so that the basecan be safely handled without an operator placing his hands near themouth of the container body. Typically, the container body includes anopen bottom, the openable closure means being a trap door in the bottom,the container body have an upstanding side wall and the handle beinglocated in or on the side wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention can be more readily understood and be putinto practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from one side illustrating a reusablesharps container according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the container of FIG. 1 fromthe opposite side;

FIG. 3 is a section through 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section through a typical lid showing how the lid isreleased;

FIG. 5 is a section showing one embodiment of a detachable protrudingportion of a mouth suitable for a container according to the presentinvention;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are pictorial views illustrating two applications of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a cut-away perspective view illustrating use of the containerwith a support platform and waste container;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a typical disposable containersuitable for use as a liner and showing its top section prior to beingassembled with the cardboard body;

FIG. 10 is a cut-away side view of the container of FIG. 9 shownoperatively positioned within a reusable external container;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the disposable container ready fordisposal;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are plan and cut-away side views of a typical lid;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are plan and cut-away side views of an alternative lid;

FIGS. 16 and 17 are views illustrating another embodiment of a lid andits associated top section.

FIGS. 18 and 19 are drawings illustrating application of the teachingsof the present invention to a clinical situation.

FIG. 20 is an assembly diagram illustrating a disposable sharpscontainer according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a view of another form of reusable container;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating another embodiment of aremovable base; and

FIG. 23 is a section through part of the container of FIG. 21.

METHOD OF PERFORMANCE

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there isillustrated a reusable sharps container 10 comprising a hollow outercontainer body 11, a disposable liner 12 (shown in phantom in FIG. 2)located inside the hollow body, the hollow body having a slidable trapdoor (shown in phantom in FIG. 1) 13 which can be removed so that theliner 12 can be replaced and the container having a mouth 14 with aco-operating lid 15 so that sharps can pass through the opening 14 andinto the liner 12.

The container body in the illustrated embodiment is made from plasticmaterial and in this case is approximately 200 mm wide with an 80 mm at14.

The trap door 13 is locked using a lock 16 which can be operated by akey 17 to release the trap door so that it can be slid in the directionof the arrow 18 by a user locating his finger in the aperture 19 of theflange 20 and withdrawing the trap door.

It will be appreciated that when the trap door is withdrawn, the liner12 will free fall out of the container.

A new liner can be inserted into the container and the trap door 13 slidback into position and locked.

The lid 15 is secured to the container using a chain 21 and as shown inFIG. 2, the lid 15 is retained in a cradle 22 when not in use, but canbe removed from the cradle 22 and pushed into the mouth 14 to close thecontainer once the liner 12 is full. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, themouth 14 includes a projecting portion in the form of a funnel 23 whichin this case is molded integrally with the container body. In the FIG. 2embodiment, a funnel 24 is employed which is removable for cleaningpurposes using wingnuts 25 and 26. Handles 27 and 28 are employed sothat the container can be handled by the user without having to touchthe region around the mouth 14.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the container 10 is illustrated in section andin this case, the lid 15 is shown locked in place over the mouth 14 andthe funnel 23 is shown protruding into the liner 12. It will beappreciated that the liner 12 is securely located in position inside thecontainer body 11 by virtue of the funnel 23 and the size of the opening29 of the liner 12. In addition, the tapered wall of the container iseither very close to the upper corners 30 of the liner, or the liner iswedged in place so that this further minimises the chance of the liner12 moving when located in position as shown.

The liner 12 in this embodiment is made from a plastic lined or waxlined cardboard container folded from a blank of cardboard material sothat the bottom 31 of the container is folded into multiple layers asshown. This enables the container to effectively absorb any smallamounts of liquids into the cardboard in the lower portion of thecontainer and also reduces the likelihood of the bottom of the containerbeing punctured by sharps.

As can been seen in FIG. 3, the trap door 13 includes a flange 32engageable with a tongue 33 of the lock 16 and supports the liner in itsposition as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The lid 15 includes spring steel or plastics flanges 34 and 35supporting latches 36 and 37 respectively which slide along the walls ofa neck portion 37 of the mouth and catch behind shoulders 38. The lidcan only be released from inside the container body and only once theliner has been removed. The method of releasing the lid is illustratedin FIG. 4, where a tool 40 is pushed up into the container from theinside to engage a release strap 41 to thereby retract the catches 36and 37 and release the lid 15.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a removable funnel 24showing that the funnel can be removed for cleaning purposes so thatonly those portions which might come in contact with biologicalmaterials need be cleaned. It will be appreciated in the illustratedembodiment that the liner is disposed of and only the funnel sectionwould normally be exposed to pathological material contained on thesharps entering the container and therefore the funnel 24 need only besubjected to sterilization procedures.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is illustrated application of thepresent invention to removal of needles from hypodermic syringes. InFIG. 6, the container is equipped with a small pair of miniature pliers42 pivotally mounted to the container 10 at 43 so that the lure locksyringe 44 can have its hypodermic needle 45 removed and willautomatically drop into the container. In the case of the syringe wherethe hypodermic needle is frictionally held in place, there is in thecase of the hypodermic needle 46 of FIG. 7, a notch 47 is provided inthe neck of the funnel 23, 24 so that the needle can be automaticallydetached and fall into the container.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated a method of disposing offull liners 12 into a waste container 48, and in this case a supportplatform 49 is provided with an opening and a container 10 with lid 15in place, this is simply positioned over the opening and the trap door13 retracted so that the liner free falls into the waste container 48.

It will be appreciated that in the disposal technique, the liners 12 canbe simply and conveniently discharged from the container 10.

Once the liner has been discharged, the tool 40, according to FIG. 4,can be inserted up into the inside of the container 10 to release thelid 15. The new liner can then be located in place, the trap door 13locked in the closed position and the container is ready for reuse.

If it is desirable to sterilize the funnel, the embodiment of FIG. 5 canbe employed where the funnel 24 can be removed before the liner is putin place and substituted with a clean funnel, the contaminated funnelcan be sent for sterilization. In this embodiment, two funnels would beprovided with each container so that the container is not out of usewhile the funnel is being sterilized.

As an alternative the funnel can be produced as part of the liner anddisposed of with the liner. Likewise the lid can be disposed of with theliner. This is described below.

Referring to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a disposable container 50comprising a folded cardboard body 51, a top section 52 made fromplastic material and a lid 53 (see FIG. 10) which when assembled, form asealed container for medical sharps. As can be seen in FIG. 9, theplastic top section 52 comprises a panel 54 having an opening 55, lug 56and side flanges 57. The lug 56 can be manually fitted into slots 58 inthe cardboard box 51 as can be seen in FIG. 10, when so fitted, thepanel 54 is flexibly distorted so that it is biased as shown and cannotbe readily removed from the box 51.

The panel 54 preferably includes a resilient seal fitted around themarginal edge of the panel 54 in known fashion to provide a seal betweenthe panel 54 and the container 51. The seal is not illustrated in thedrawings. The panel includes notches 59 to assist in removing hypodermicneedles from syringes.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated the container 50 inside areusable container 61 of the type described above in FIG. 1 althoughthere are some differences.

A comparison of the two containers shows that the funnel 62 previouslyformed as part of the container is now formed as part of the disposablecardboard container or liner and the lid 53 also previously formed aspart of the reusable container is now formed as a disposable portion.The lid 53 includes lugs 63 located at spaced intervals about the lid 53so that once the lid 53 is in place, the lugs inhibit removal.

The funnel 62 serves the purpose of providing a level indicator ofsharps within the container and thereby an indicator as to when it istime to dispose of the container. The funnel 62 allows a user to inspectthe level of the sharps from a position externally of the liner of thecontainer.

The funnel 62 indicates that replacement of the container is to takeplace when the level of the sharps within the container is close to orat the inner end of the funnel. The same indication is also provided bythe funnels 23,24 described earlier.

A user first puts the lid 53 in place and then removes the drawer 64 inthe direction of the arrow 65 after unlocking the barrel lock 66 so thatthe container 50 freefalls into a pathogenic waste container. Thereusable container 61 is equipped with a pocket 67 in which the lid 53can be stored while the container is being filled.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, there is shown fully assembledcontainer 50 is illustrated in FIG. 11 and where appropriate, likenumerals have been used to illustrate like features.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrates the lid 53.

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate an alternative lid 70 in this case employinga polyethylene or equivalent plastic having an annular channeldimensioned slightly less than the thickness of the top section 62 sothat a seal is obtained without the need for an O-ring. The lip 72overhangs slightly and is sufficiently thin and narrow to resisttampering.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17 there is illustrated another embodiment ofthe invention in this case employing a top section 80 having an annularprojection 81 co-operating with an annular channel 82 of a lid 83. Thelid and projection have co-operating shoulders which lock the lid inplace against removal and bring about an effect seal.

FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate a trolley arrangement 68 and storage rack 69respectively as being two typical ways in which the container 61 can bepositioned for use in a clinical environment.

Referring to FIG. 20 there is illustrated another embodiment of adisposable shapes container that can be used on its own or preferably asa liner for a reusable container. In this case there is provided acontainer 85 similar to the container 50 illustrated in FIG. 9. Thecontainer is used in combination with a plastics bag the plastics bagbeing shown in its folded state at 86 and then expanded at 87. Thecardboard container 85 goes into the bag, the upper edges of the bagfold into the funnel 88 and then the top section 89 which operates inthe same way as top section 52 (see FIG. 9) clips in place to hold theplastic bag secure. A lid 90 in this case fits as a bayonet fit althoughlids of the type previously described can be used.

FIG. 21 and 23 illustrates a form of square bracing using a flange 91 ofthe bottom of a reusable container 92 so that the bottom does not flexand potentiate accidental dislodgment of the drawer.

A typical drawer 93 is shown in FIG. 22 wherein this case the drawer isdished with skid bars 94 on which the disposable container sits. Thedrawer slides into a framed guide slot 95 (see FIGS. 21 and 23) and thisprovides an added seal right around the base so that from beneath thecontainer is fully closed.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of thepresent invention, many variations and modifications thereto will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broadambit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sharps container comprising in combination ahollow reusable outer container body and a disposable liner locatedinside the hollow outer container body to hold sharps, the outercontainer body having a thin wall, an open base and an openable closuremeans comprising a trap door which is normally located in a closedposition for closing the open base and is moveable to an open positionso that the liner can be replaced, and the combination having a mouthand a co-operating lid so that sharps can pass through the mouth andtravel into the liner, the lid being used to close the mouth prior todisposal of the liner, the openable closure means being fitted to theouter container body below the liner so that when the trap door is movedto the open position the liner is automatically discharged from thecontainer, the open base being braced about its lower periphery toinhibit flexing of the outer wall adjacent the trap door.
 2. A sharpscontainer according to claim 1 wherein the lid is secured to the outercontainer body.
 3. A sharps container according to claim 1 wherein thelid is secured to the liner.
 4. A sharps container according to claim 3wherein the liner comprises a disposable container having a liner bodyand a separate top section secured to the liner body, the top sectionhaving an opening forming the mouth to which the lid is secured.
 5. Asharps container according to claim 1, wherein the trap door is alockable drawer located in a lower base portion of the container.
 6. Asharps container according to claim 1 wherein the container body and theliner are generally upright and relatively narrow elongated containersadapted to hold relatively long disposable surgical devices.
 7. A sharpscontainer according to claim 1, wherein the container includes a levelindicator comprising a funnel projecting into said liner, the funnelproviding an external visual indication of the level of sharps in theliner.
 8. A sharps container according to claim 7 wherein the funnel isformed as part of the liner.
 9. A sharps container according to claim 1wherein the liner comprises a container located inside a liquidimpervious outer container.
 10. A sharps container according to claim 9wherein the liner includes a bottom section and a top section clippedinto the bottom section, the top section having an opening forming saidmouth and serving to retain said outer container operatively secured tothe bottom section.
 11. A sharps container according to claim 1, whereinthe outer container further comprises a supporting frame extendingaround the open base and co-operating with the trap door so that whenthe trap door is in the closed position it engages the supporting frameto close a periphery of the open base.
 12. A sharps container accordingto claim 1, wherein the liner comprises a container body and a topsection securable to the liner container body, the lid being securableto the top section, the top section having an opening, the month beingdefined by the opening, and the lid being provided to close the topsection and inhibit access to the interior of the liner body.
 13. Asharps container according to claim 12 wherein the lid includes aresilient locking means biasing the lid against removal once the lid isused to close the top section.
 14. A sharps container according to claim12, wherein the liner body is substantially box shaped and has athickened base.
 15. A sharps container according to claim 12, whereinthe liner is substantially box shaped and includes an outer liquidimpervious layer.
 16. A sharps container according to claim 12 whereinthe liner container body includes a level indicator projectingdownwardly from the top section and into the liner body.
 17. A sharpscontainer comprising in combination:a hollow outer container body; and adisposable liner located inside the hollow outer container body to holdsharps, said hollow outer container body further comprising a bottomclosure means located below said disposable liner, said bottom closuremeans having a closed position and an open position so that in theclosed position said disposable liner remains within said hollow outercontainer and so that in the open position said disposable liner isautomatically discharged through said bottom closure means, thecombination having a mouth and a co-operating lid so that sharps canpass through the mouth and travel into the liner, wherein the lid isused to close the mouth during disposal of the liner.